Are you a Mac gamer and a Star Wars fan? I’m afraid I don’t have good news for you.
Feb 28, 2020 First introduced on Mac in 2014, Total War: Empire is the fifth installment in the Total War series, which, as a whole, comes recommended. The turn-based strategy game was released for Windows in 2009. Before purchasing the game, just check the Mac App Store for compatibility with your Mac, since some older machines aren't supported. You will need a solid, balanced team to succeed. Overall, people love it for its art direction, gameplay, humor, and strong community. And Team Fortress 2 is still among the most played games on Steam and one of the best free fps games for mac.
- Total War: SHOGUN 2 contains all add-on content packs including the Rise of the Samurai Campaign expansion, which challenges you to establish Japan’s first shogunate in a stand-alone campaign set 400 years before the events of the main game. The game is supported on the following Macs. To check your Mac model and when it was released, select.
- Some of the absolute best military war games you need to play in 2021, for the PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch.
The Mac has never been the platform of choice for serious Star Wars fans. After all, the company in charge of Star Wars games, EA, is notorious for having no love for macOS. When was the last time we saw an EA game on Mac?
But we knew that already. Yet, 2019 was particularly tough because it was the year the majority of Star Wars games on Mac were discontinued.
The good news? Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2 are here to stay.
All the Star Wars Mac games you can no longer play…
The Force used to be strong on Mac. In fact, several Star Wars games had an official Mac version, until recently… Indeed, with Apple’s decision to stop supporting 32-bit apps, most of the great Star Wars games available on Mac no longer work on the latest macOS versions (from macOS Catalina onwards).
On top of that, Aspyr Media, the company in charge of most Star Wars Mac games, officially announced that a large part of their back catalog would be discontinued.
A once a great Star Wars choice, no longer available for Mac…
Unfortunately, their list of discontinued games includes most of their Star Wars games:
- Star Wars: Empire at War
- Star Wars: Jedi Academy
- Star Wars: Jedi Outcast
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
That leaves us with Knights of the Old Republic and Knights of the Old Republic 2 as the only remaining Star Wars games from Aspyr officially supported on macOS Catalina and beyond. Luckily, many consider this some of the best RPGs available on console, PC, and even on Android and iPhone.
Into RPGs? These are our favorites:
| Game | ★ Best Overall | Runner-up | Best Value |
| Genre | Action RPG | Party-based RPG | Sci-Fi RPG |
| Release date | 2019 | 2018 | 2015 |
| Metascore | |||
| Our rating | ★★★★★ Full Review | ★★★★☆ Full Review | ★★★★★ Full Review |
| Requirements | Medium | Medium | Low |
| Check Price |
Older choices for retro gamers
Not everything is bad news. If we take a look at GOG’s catalog of older games, they still offer a few Star Wars games for Mac:
Granted, these are old-school games that only retro gamers will appreciate, but it’s still good to have options. For the rest of us, one of the most critically-acclaimed Star Wars ever released remains at our disposal.
Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic 2 on Mac
KOTOR 2: The Sith Lords is the sequel to the cult classic Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. In KOTOR 2, you take control of an exile who rediscovers her connection to the Force.
As with any other RPG, you will choose your character’s looks, but through certain dialogue options and decisions, you will affect your character’s alignment with the Force. Acts of kindness and nobility reflect the light side, while cruel or vile, the dark side.
Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic 2 was released for Mac on July 21, 2015. But that wasn’t just a Mac release 10 years too late, it was the release of a remastered version of the game.
With that release, Aspyr made an already great game even better:
The update included the following:
- 37 achievements to be earned through gameplay
- Steam Cloud saves
- Native widescreen resolution support
- Resolution support up to 4K and 5K
- Support for controllers, including Xbox 360, Xbox One, Playstation 3, and Playstation 4, along with several others
- Steam Workshop support! We proudly worked with the Restored Content Mod Team to have their famous TSLRCM up on launch day
And while all those features are excellent additions, the Restored Content Mod is probably the best one. As explained by Kotaku:
The Restored Content Mod is a years-spanning project that aims to return the game to its proper form—rather than the sloppy, stitched together version that was originally released due to publisher pressure and time constraints.
The mod adds a handful of endings and the infamous HK Factory and fixes hundreds of bugs.
If for some reason, you missed this excellent RPG 15 years ago, this is the best time to give it a shot (especially if a sequel is indeed in the works).
Star Wars: KOTOR 2 Mac requirements
These are the game’s minimum system requirements are the following:
- 2.2 GHz CPU Speed
- 4 GB RAM
- 10 GB free disk space
- ATI Radeon HD 3870, NVidia GeForce 330M and Intel HD 3000
- Gamepad support: Playstation 4 Dualshock 4, Playstation 3 Dualshock 3, Xbox 360 wired controller and Xbox One controller (wired)
To learn more about the game, head over to Aspyr’s dedicated FAQ page.
We usually run extensive benchmark tests on several machines to help you figure out whether your Mac can run it or not. KOTOR 2 is a 15-year old game that should run on most Macs out there.
For that reason, we simply recommend you make sure your Mac meets the modest system requirements above.
Download KOTOR 2 for Mac
Are you desperately looking for the best Star Wars game you could play on your Mac? Look no further than KOTOR 2.
KOTOR 2 is available on most digital stores including Steam and Humble Bundle. And if you hurry, you can get it 66% off!
Armor Games
Military war games are bountiful with new games coming out each year along with some past hits still proving to be just as popular. It’s not easy picking out just a few video game titles, but in 2021 there are some games either coming out that may have a ton of players interested in checking out or some past installments that still have a pretty solid online community. In this list, we’re going to suggest a few games to either keep an eye out for this year or titles that you can dive into right now.
#10 Six Days in Fallujah
Platform : PC, PS4, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Release Date : Q4 2021
Genre : First-person shooter, tactical shooter
Best Free War Games For Macbook
Six Days in Fallujah had a bit of an interesting development process. This game was first brought up to the public attention in 2009 where it was surrounded by controversy. Since the game was depicting an actual battle that just took place a few years prior, the title was a bit too soon for most people’s taste. The amount of attention and controversy this game received ultimately caused the publisher at the time, Konami, to drop the game entirely. Eventually, Six Days in Fallujah was scrapped, until earlier this year where it was unveiled that the game was back in development for a release towards the end of 2021.
There doesn’t seem to be as much controversy this time around which may help the developers get this title out into the marketplace although we’re still waiting to see more about the project. With that said, players can expect a more realistic tactical shooter with gameplay looking a bit like Socom in the sense that you’re setting up an attack while commanding your squad. Of course, with that said, it does look like there will be multiplayer support which means you could potentially drop the AI companions for some friends as you attempt to relive the Second Battle of Fallujah, one of the bloodiest battles to involve American troops since the Vietnam War.
#9 War Thunder
Platform : PC, MacOS, Linux, PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Release Date : December 21, 2016
PC August 15, 201 / PS4 June 3, 2014 / April 17, 2014 / Linux November 6, 2014 / Android June 2, 2015 / Official Release December 21, 2016 / Xbox One June 19, 2018
Genre : Action, vehicular combat, combat flight simulator
War Thunder is an MMO military game, but rather than taking the role of a soldier on the ground, players are instead of battling it against each other through the use of different vehicles. There are all kinds of different vehicles here for players to step into. From tanks, naval warships, to planes, players will find a wide range of diverse vehicles suitable for all kinds of different situations. It’s a game that’s also been around since 2013 so not only is it full of content and DLC for players to pick up, but also a pretty active community. Not to mention, that this is a free-to-play video game title so there’s no reason not to give this game a chance today with the free selection of titles players can use.
When it comes to the game modes, some modes break up the different types of vehicles players can use, whether they want a more arcade-like experience or realistic battles, to more historic missions that attempt to provide a bit more of an accurate battle that took place. With all that said, it’s worth making mention that there are some other vehicle-specific military war games that you might find some interest in such as World of Warships and World of Tanks. As the name of the titles suggests, these games are specific to the kind of vehicles players will be able to use.
#8 Tannenberg
Platform : PC, OS X, Linux, PS4, Xbox One
Release Date : PC, OS X, Linux, PS4 February 13, 2019
PS4, Xbox One July 24, 2020
Genre : First-person shooter
We don’t see too many World War I video games release into the market compared to World War II, but that doesn’t mean there are not some video games to pick up and enjoy in 2021 with The Great War backdrop. One of the video game titles to pick up is Tannenberg, a game developed by M2H who you might know of from their other WWI video game title, Verdun. Tannenberg originally launched back in 2019 but it just saw a release on console platforms last year, 2020. In this game, we’re going through the Tannenberg battle that took place in 1914 where Russia and Germany battled against each other in East Prussia.
Similar to Verdun the developers were aiming for a more realistic approach to the game with the weapons, uniforms, and of course, the environment players would be battling within. With that said, while this game may be the more recent release for M2H, players that are wanting a bit more WWI military war action gameplay should take a look at their previous release, Verdun.
#7 Defcon
Platform : PC, Mac OS X, Linux
Release Date : PC, 29 September 2006 / (Steam) 26 March 2007
OS X 19 April 2007 / Linux 11 December 2012
Genre : Real-time strategy
Defcon is a game that was developed after some inspiration from the iconic 1980s thriller, Wargames. In this game, players are taking the role of a General that is hidden somewhere deep underground in a bunker. Here you’re going to be looking at an old computer monitor as you get a look at what’s going on around the world. With paranoia settling within the world, players are building up their forces to send out tactical strikes at other continents.
This real-time strategy game is all about ensuring that you have enough firepower to make a dent into the opposing forces military power in which you can slowly take them out with a barrage of attacks to even a nuclear strike. However, if you fail to have enough resources stocked up when you handle an attack, the counter-attack may be tough to come back from. With all that said, this game is all about ensuring that you’re last standing with fewer civilian casualties.
#6 Squad
Platform : PC
Release Date : 23 September 2020 (official release on Steam), 15 December 2015 (Steam Early Access), Q1 2018 (Alpha Early Access), Q4 2019 (Beta Release)
Genre : First-person shooter, tactical shooter
Another military-focused tactical FPS that’s gained some positive reception from critics and player-alike is Squad. It’s a game that throws players into team-based battles with a hundred players tossed into the world. This is a game where you can’t expect to drop in and just have a free-for-all experience as the developers along with the players aim to make it a realistic experience. Outside of the actual weapons, vehicles, and environment, one of the key elements to this game is the VoIP system placed in the title.
Players can communicate with their squad to different leaders by using the in-game system voice system. With that said, this game is not for everyone, if you don’t want a more specific military simulator game then this is a title to avoid, things can be a bit slow, there are more tactics in taking out the enemies and getting players into position before diving into the area or flying down into a clearing.
#5 ARMA 3
Platform : PC, Linux, macOS
Release Date : PC, September 12, 2013 / OS X, Linux August 31, 201
Genre : Tactical shooter
Arma 3 has been around for years now. This title was released back in 2013 and still, this game has a massive following. Fans are given a military sandbox-style game with plenty of content that’s available for both single-player and multiplayer gameplay. However, what some fans may take an interest in is the fact that this game allows content creation with mod support. Here players can craft up their scenarios, multiplayer game modes, along with adding in vehicles and weapons.
Still, this is aimed to be more of a military simulator game so you can expect some brutal gameplay if you don’t take some precautions when going through the different scenarios or even online multiplayer gameplay. You can spend quite a long time playing around in this game, but with that said, there are a ton of fans out there wondering just if and when we’ll see a successor hit the marketplace.
#4 Pavlov VR
Platform : PC
Release Date : 28 Feb, 2017
Genre : Action, Indie, Early Access
Pavlov VR is an early access title for those that enjoy VR gaming. This is a military shooter that can be compared to the likes of Counter-Strike in a lot of ways. Players can join in either online or offline with bots, with a selection of game modes such as your typical deathmatches to more unique game modes such as Gun Game which rewards players with a different gun every time they successfully get a kill. Meanwhile, players can store their guns on either side of their body or their back, but the bigger the weapon, the easier it is to control the shots and aim by using both hands.
Additionally, players can make up their maps as well to give players something new to try out, but since this game is in early access, players should expect changes to happen within the gameplay as the studio prepares for the full launch. We could have placed a few more VR games into this list to highlight titles to check out that are more aimed at military combat, but we’ll stick to just one. With that said, if you have an Oculus Rift, we recently published a list of the best VR games for players to check out which includes a few more military-focused shooters.
#3 Hell Let Loose
Platform : PC, PS5, XSX|S
Release Date : 6 June 2019 (early access) / 2021 (fully release)
Genre : First-person shooter
Hell Let Loose is another early access title with the game putting players into an FPS set in World War II. The video game takes players to different iconic battles where you’ll be just another soldier looking to help out your squad in a victory. With battles of 50 vs 50, there is plenty of action-packed combat with players being able to communicate through the in-game VoIP system. Not only are players battling with a variety of iconic weapons, but they’ll have the ability to use vehicles, artillery support, and placing traps or barriers to further hold the line.
Being that there are more tactics to play here, it’s suggested to play and communicate with a group of players if not teaming up with some friends. As a result, this is very much a team-focused game where everyone has a job and needs to stick with it to win. Much like other early access titles on this list, you can likely expect some different tweaks and adjustments being made to the game as the studio prepares to fully launch the Hell Let Loose.
#2 Battlefield 6
Platform :
Release Date : 2021
Genre : Shooter Video Game
Battlefield is not like Call of Duty as we don’t get new installments every year. Despite this, the games that do end up launching out into the marketplace, usually get supported through a series of DLC and content updates. While Battlefield 1 puts players into World War I and Battlefield V set players into World War II, there’s no official word on just where Battlefield 6 is going to toss players.
Despite this, the CEO of EA Andrew Wilson has been making comments in the past that suggest the next Battlefield game will feature a bigger scale than ever before. It’s also a game that has plenty of destruction just as the series is mainly known, but with the next generation of console platforms available we imagine that wherever we end up getting tossed there are going to be plenty of buildings and landscapes blowing up to pieces.
#1 Call of Duty 2021
Call of Duty 2021
Platform : PS4, Xbox One, PS5, XSX|S
Release Date : 2021
Lastly, we have Call of Duty 2021 which as we just mentioned in our previous point for Battlefield 6, this franchise has a new installment coming out every year. In 2020 we received Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War but for 2021 it’s not set in stone quite yet on where this next game will put us. We’ve seen all kinds of suggestions and rumors flooding around with a few stating that we’re going to be tossed back into the World War II setting once again. There’s a lot of areas we’re waiting to see get announced such as the setting, any new mechanics, along with what this could mean for the incredibly popular battle royale game mode Call of Duty: Warzone.